{"id":71147,"date":"2024-03-05T12:42:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T09:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/71147\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-138","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/71147\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

March 5, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on March 4, including eight new political prisoners, more banned opposition content and continuing reprisals against dissidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrested and released<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police-related media outlets have released new videos of arrests in an apparent campaign to intimidate opponents of the government<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested four men in Biaroza, Brest region, for alleged participation in 2020 postelection protests, and one man somewhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maksim Sierhijenka is free after serving three years in prison for alleged hooliganism and online abuse of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, MAYDAY.TEAM reported. In January, law enforcers arrested his wife Alesia who faces criminal charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On January 18, Alena Min\u010danka, 60, from Or\u0161a, Viviabsk region, was fined 1,200 rubels (about $372) for a reaction to a picture with a funeral candle on social media, the Vitebsk, Ya Gulayu!<\/em> Telegram channel reported. The woman has recorded a TikTok video, asking viewers to share her story and saying that she is struggling to pay the fine because her monthly pension amounts to 345 rubels ($107).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 19, a judge in Voranava, Hrodna region, jailed a man for 10 days for following an opposition group on Vkontakte, the Pravo Imeyut<\/em> Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u015aviat\u0142ana Vinahradava was tried in Hrodna on Monday, but the verdict is unknown, the same channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iryna Sapryhina will go on trial today in Mazyr, Homiel region, on charges of insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka and officials, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Rights groups consider her a political prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vital \u0160am\u0161oryk, D\u017amitryj Sa\u016d\u010duk, Alaksiej Sa\u0142aducha, D\u017amitryj \u015aniehiro\u016d, Dzianis Ivaniec and Illa Juzvuk will go on trial today in Brest for alleged gross violations of public order, apparently in connection with the 2020 postelection protests, the Brest branch of Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian Investigative Committee announced a new extremism case against former political prisoner Leanid Sudalenka, a human rights defender from Homiel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another special procedure case was opened against Jury \u0160\u010du\u010dko, an associate and colleague of Vital \u0160y\u0161o\u016d, the ex-head of the Belarusian House in Ukraine nonprofit who was found hanged in Kyiv in 2021. \u0160\u010du\u010dko is charged with insulting the head of state, defamation, illegal handling of personal data and other crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Extremist” list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee for State Security (KGB) blacklisted the opposition people\u2019s embassies as an \u201cextremist\u201d group, according to the updated list on the interior ministry\u2019s website. The KGB listed belarusabroad.org<\/em> and belaruscongress.org<\/em>, the Bie\u0142arusy Zamie\u017e\u017ea Telegram and YouTube channels as well as Al\u2019jans Rassledovatelej Belarusi (Alliance of Belarus\u2019 Investigators) as communities affiliated with the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 1, the interior ministry also blacklisted the Telegram community \u017dyvie Vitebsk 97% as an \u201cextremist\u201d group. It identified Arciom Skuman and the channel\u2019s founders, administrators and followers as members of the group. Two days later, the ministry added to its list the participants and administrators of the Eto Minsk, Detka online community, including thisminsk.org<\/em> and social media accounts linked to Tutej\u0161y \u0160lachci\u010d and Eto Minsk, Detka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other instances of persecution<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceramics artist Alena Karpienka was placed in a pre-trial detention center after opposition sources shared a video that she shot at a polling station in Mahilo\u016d, MAYDAY.TEAM reported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of arrests during the February raid targeting architects and their families may reach up to 70, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported. Three men are held at the pre-trial Detention Center No 1 and are accused of gross violations of public order; two designers had served seven and 15 days in jail, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigative journalist Dzianis Iva\u0161yn, serving a lengthy prison term on high treason charges, was not allowed to call his family in February, his wife Volha Iva\u0161yna said on Telegram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the fall of 2020, 4,690 people have been convicted on politically-motivated criminal charges in Belarus, according to Viasna’s recent report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities have convicted at least 895 women in politically-motivated cases, since 2020, the opposition transition cabinet noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interior ministry’s organized crime unit has made more than 1,100 arrests on extremist-related charges, STV<\/em> reported without specifying the period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New political prisoners<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights groups declared eight more people as political prisoners, Viasna reported. They were either convicted or taken into custody on extremism- and protest-related charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 5, human rights defenders identified at least 1,412 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented. Opposition sources estimate the number of political prisoners at around 5,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

March 5, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on March 4, including eight new political prisoners, more banned opposition content and continuing reprisals against dissidents. Arrested and released Police-related media outlets have released new videos of arrests in an apparent campaign to intimidate opponents of the government Police arrested four men […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":49661,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-71147","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUpdate on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"March 5, Pozirk. 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